McCaskey football coach Rob Monzon admits he didn't expect to look at the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 standings heading into tonight's league openers and see five teams still without a win.

He surely didn't expect to see his Red Tornado smack in the middle of that winless group.

And he couldn't imagine watching his defense get so severely thrashed as it has been in giving up 144 points in three games.

The toughest thing Monzon sees right now is not his team's 0-3 record but the opponent on the Red Tornado's schedule: three-time defending Section 1 champ Wilson, a team looking like it's headed for a fourth straight title.

"They'll be physical, and they'll be tenacious," Monzon said of the Bulldogs. "And that doesn't bode well for us. Our guys are gonna have to dig deep."

The Bulldogs (2-1) stumbled early, losing their opener to Gov. Mifflin, and seemed to be feeling their way against Manheim Central for a half before hitting stride.

Once their defense came together, and once all-league tailback Rodney Gillin shook the rust off after sitting out the opener, the Bulldogs started looking like the team that put together a record 22-game league winning streak.

Though Manheim Township and Penn Manor enter league play with the same record as Wilson, the Bulldogs remain the clear league favorite, just as they were prior to the season.

The Red Tornado was expected to make a run at Wilson but so far little has gone right. McCaskey has been overwhelmed by a tough non-league schedule that included Coatesville, ranked No. 5 in the state in Class AAAAA by the Pennsylvania Football News, and Lancaster Catholic, ranked No. 1 in Class AA.

Things only got worse last week when McCaskey lost one of its top offensive threats, running back Aaron Swinton, to a season-ending knee injury.

With triggerman Johnathan Hulyo firing away, the Tornado has been potent offensively, averaging 29 points and 411 yards per game.

Problem is the Red Tornado is giving it back faster than it's getting it. McCaskey has allowed 47, 41 and 56 points and is dead-last in the Lancaster-Lebanon League in total defense, yielding a whopping 477 yards per game.

"I'm a little disappointed about the fact that my defensive front hasn't come around," Monzon said. "We knew we were going to be young and inexperienced up front. My guys haven't gotten to where we want them to be."

"McCaskey's a better football team than people are giving them credit for," Wilson coach Doug Dahms said. "Nobody's really stopped them. They score a lot of points; they just can't seem to stop anybody.

"Their problem has been they give up big plays because they've had mental breakdowns. That's something they can work on. I think McCaskey's gonna get their act together and win a lot of football games."

Hulyo will not hesitate to test Wilson's pass defense. He has already attempted 89 passes and thrown for 844 yards and eight TDs.

His top target is wide receiver Diante Cherry, a Division I prospect who has 25 catches for 410 yards and four TDs.

"We plan on throwing," Monzon said. "We get guys into space, and it causes problems for teams."

The Bulldogs, of course, have active linebackers and an athletic secondary and are generally well-schooled at playing in space. They figure to be up to the challenge of blunting McCaskey's air assault.

"They've got an awful lot of speed," cautioned Dahms. "The trouble with that kind of thing is that if you have one breakdown it's six points."

McCaskey, like the other Section 1 teams, entered the season behind the Bulldogs. Now, despite a blank league slate, the Red Tornado has seemed to fall even further behind.

"We're not throwing in the hat at all," Monzon said. "We're trying to win this game, get on a winning track and start our section play on a positive note. Even if this game doesn't go our way, 6-1 in the section, 6-4 overall would be a positive season."